Falcons fall to Bishop

October 24, 2011

Friday night’s game at John Schwab Field was all Bishop. The Broncos trounced the Frazier Mountain Falcons handily, 42-0.
The Falcons were missing two of their wide receivers, limiting their options and opening them up to the strong Bishop defense. That, and the Broncos played a good game. “We played good defense against Cal City,” said Egan. “We played good defense and offense against Frazier. We keep improving.”
Any qualms about Bishop’s chance at dominating in 2011, despite the loss of so many key players, have been quieted as the Broncos keep ticking off wins. The Broncos have enough weapons to stock a couple of arsenals and all of them were in play against the Falcons.
Egan started subbing Friday night in the second quarter, giving Kyle Batchelder play as quarterback. “He’s doing great,” said Egan of the Broncos’ QB for ’12. “He’s smart, makes good decisions and he’s tough.” Egan also ran off the list of receivers, Jaime Ruelas, Cy Scott, Matt Babb, Jerry Castillo and Batchelder, who have been instrumental in putting big numbers on the scoreboard.
The numbers starting racking up on Bishop’s first possession against the Falcons. Ruelas moved the ball to midfield; Evan Richman added another 9 yards to his rushing stats; Ryan Devore broke through for a 32-yard gain and QB Chance Callahan lateraled to Scott for a TD.
The Broncos second possession came quickly when the Falcons were forced to punt at third and 23. After a Ruelas run and reception by Batchelder, the Broncos were on the Falcon’s 22. Callahan went in for the TD off a Babb block. The 2-point conversion to Ruelas put the Broncos’ lead at 14-0.
The Falcons made some progress with their big, talented back Patrick Moulder. At third and nine, the QB, Isaac Shillig, went to the air under pressure from Matt Doonan. The ball ended up in the hands of Bronco Dustin Waasdorp who headed to the end zone. Waasdorp’s TD was taken back on an illegal block penalty, but Bishop retained possession inside Falcon territory.
Richman moved the ball 5 yards; a pass play to Babb put the ball in the Falcons’ red zone. Scott made a spectacular catch just short of the goal line and Callahan finished the drive with a TD. With just under a minute left in the first quarter, Bishop led 21-0.
Frazier held onto the ball through a major chunk of the second quarter, alternating between Moulder and Kyle Hudson on the ground.
Schain Thomson, Keith Tatum, Devore, Castillo and the rest of the Broncos defense held the Falcon’s offense to short gains. The drive ended on Bishop’s 13-yard line with a Batchelder interception.
Starting on their own 5, the Broncos moved quickly to the Falcons’ 11 on a 19-yard run and 42-yard pass play by Ruelas and two pass receptions by Babb. From the 11, Callahan went in for the TD, extending the lead 28-0.
You can always tell when the first half is nearing the end: the Broncos score and score quickly. They did it with less than a minute on the clock when Babb pulled down another interception, then finished the Falcons off with a pass reception for a 42-yard touchdown. Bishop led 36-0 at the half.
Midway through the third quarter with Batchelder in as QB, Waasdorp ran for a TD and this one stood. Bishop led 42-0.
The clock ran through the fourth quarter, the Broncos’ starters and bench got in some good practice and the game came to a merciful end.
This Friday, Bishop hosts the Kern Valley Broncs, a team everyone assumed would be 2-0 in High Desert League and in contention for the league championship. But, Kern fell to Cal City, 38-31.
“Kern Valley has some hurt players,” said Egan, who’s not taking anything for granted, “and they made some mistakes. They’re still 6-1 and they’ve played some good teams.” Egan also guessed that the Broncs’ minds may have been on this Friday’s game against Bishop. What makes Kern Valley dangerous is that their backs are up against the wall, according to Egan. They can’t endure any more losses.
The same can be said for Bishop. A Broncos win over Kern Valley is crucial.